History. Mystery. Research-in-Progress.

The Earls of East Hall, Part II

A map of Stetson University’s campus in Deland, in 1903. Emmett’s dorm, East Hall, is the blue oval at the top of the map. Hamilton Hall is the blue square at the bottom of the map. Chaudoin Hall is in the red oval, and is where a large dining hall was located on the campus. Chaudoin Hall was also a women’s dormitory. Source: Stetson University Archives.

Here’s the snippet from the essay in the Stetson Collegiate that I’m using as the basis of my article:

The “Earls of East Hall”: Anthony, Carter, Fulgham, Pelot, Calmes, “Happy” Merryday, Wilson, DeCottes, “Berry” Sturgeon, Worley, and Fee. Emmett is noted as the authority on “Hamilton Hall,” which was a cottage women’s dormitory. Source: Stetson University Archives

I left off with a discussion of Charles E. Pelot, and there was mention of his tennis expertise. Today, I found a mention of a game featuring Pelot, who also went by “Pluto.”

Pelot playing tennis as ‘Pluto.’ Source: Stetson University Archives

Today, we’ll get to know two more of the Earls of East Hall:

Thomas C. Calmes. Thomas was also called “Calamity” among his friends. He was the 1903 class president, reported to be a perpetual talker, and ‘hardly ever in a position from which he could not extricate himself.’ I suppose it is fitting that he became a successful lawyer, practicing in Plant City, Florida. It is possible that he and Emmett remained in contact during their careers, but I don’t know that they saw each other often, because Emmett’s practice was mainly in the then-third congressional district.

Merryday was the hero of the game, scoring the only touchdown, despite the fact the Stetson team was unpracticed and sloppy.

Merryday’s law practice was in Palatka; there was also a grocery business in that city. It doesn’t seem likely that Emmett had much interaction with Merryday after they graduated; Palatka and Putnam County were out of Emmett’s circuit in 1903, so, he wouldn’t have seen Merryday regularly.

Here’s an interesting article that features both Merryday and Calmes: They received ‘half-century diplomas’ from Stetson in 1955, in honor of their exemplary character and citizenship qualities.

Looking back at the names of the Earls of East Hall, Charles Pelot would have been alive in 1955 and might have been invited to attend (he died in 1956), as would have John Worley (who also died in 1956), and Emile Anthony, who died in 1965. The rest of the list died years earlier: Emmett in 1918; Berry Sturgeon in 1932; Fred Fee in 1939; George Decottes in 1949; and Walter Fulghum and Paul Carter in 1951.